Fruit-picker.



G. VIRGIN.

FRUIT PICKER.

APPLICATION FILED nmnza, 1909.

Patented 0013.26, 1909.

[NVEN TOR WITNESSES F j ,v i s in .CABL VIRGIN, QIE BALTIMORE. MARYLAND.

FRUIT-PICKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented 0013.26, 19o9.

Application filed June 29, 1909. Serial No. 504,973.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL VIRGIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore,

certain new and useful Improvements in Fruit-Pickers; and I do hereby declare the -'following to be a full, clear, and exact de- My invention relates" to new and useful.

improvements in fruit pickers and more particularly to that class adapted to be used for gathering apples or other fruits such as grow upon trees or tall vines and my object is to providemeans for clipping the stems of the fruit and causing the fruit to fall.

A further objectis to provide a suitable net or basket for catching the fruit.

A still further object is to provide a staff for extending the net to a considerable height and a still further object is to-provide means for operating the clipping device frog a pointadjacent the lower end of the sta Other objects andadvantages will be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this application, Figure 1 1s a detail perspective view showing the picker complete and ready to be applied to use, and,

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view showing one manner of attaching the net to parts of the picker.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout both views, 1 indicates a staff which is formed of considerable length and which is provided at its upper end with an upwardly extending shank 2, to which is pivotall"-secured the body 3 of my improved clipping device, said body being adjustably attached to the shank by introducing a bolt l through the shank and body and clamping the same thereon through the medium of a wing nut 5 and by attaching the body in this manner, it will be readily seen that said body can be adjusted to various angles. I

The outer end of the body 3 terminates in a hook 6, the inner edge of which is beveled to form acutting edge 7 and cooperating with said hook is a blade 8, one edge of which is preferably curved and bevm the State of Maryland, have invented eled to form a cutting edge 9, which cooperates jwith the curved cutting edge 7 of the liooln-wherebywhen the blade is swung over the hook, the object-engaged with the hook will be severed. I

The blade 8 terminates in a bar 10, which bar is pivoted to the body 3 through the medium of a bolt or pin 11, the free' end of the bar extending a distancev beyond one edge of the body 3, whereby the blade may be readilyswung on its pivot and in order to readily accomplish this result, particularly when the cutting device is elevated to some extent, one end of a cable 12 is attached to the outer end of the bar 10 and extended through eyes 13 and 1% on the body 3 and staff 1, respectively. the lower end of said cable being attached to a lever 15, whereby when the lever is swung downwardly, the blade S will be operated to sever the object engaged by the hook 6.

' One end of the lever 15 is pivoted to the stud 1, while the opposite end thereof is provided with a handle 16, whereby said lever may be readily operated and it will be readily seen that by attaching the cable 12 to the lever 15 at a point a distance from its pivot, the downward swinging movement of the lever will move the cable lengthwise and operate the cutting blade to which it is attached.

Immediately below the hook 6 is a net or basket 17, which is preferably composed of loosely woven material and is adapted to catch the fruit as the retaining stems are severed by the cutting blade, said net being supported by a band 18, preferably of wire, said band having its ends 19 extended upwardly and through the body 3, the extreme upper ends 20 being then bent downwardly andover the upper face of the body and again introduced through the body 3, where they are upset or riveted to securely anchor the same to the body.

The blade 8 is normally held in its open position by means of a spring 21, one end of which is attached to the outer end of said blade, while the opposite end thereof is at.- tached to the body 3, the tension of said spring being such as to normally hold the blade in its open position.

In operation, the body 3 is placed at the proper angle and the nut 5 turned onto the bolt with sufficient pressure to hold the body in its adjusted position when the hook 6- is placed into engagement with the stem of the ruit to be gathered and a downward pull made on the lever 15, this operation swing ing the blade 8 on its pivot and clipping the, .steni engaged by the hook and in View of the leverage obtained by arranging the device as shown, a stem of considerable dimension may be clipped; It will further be seen that byproviding the form of net-as disclosed,

' growing.

the clipping device may be readily introduced below the fruit to catch the samewhen the supporting'stem is clipped and without coming in contact with the branches of the trees or vines upon which'the fruit is- It will further be seen that thebody 3 may be thrown upwardly in aline-' 'ment with the axis of the stafl? 1 and the cut-. ting device usedfor pruning purposes and if desired, the band 18. may be removably'attached to the body 3, whereby the basket can be removed when the device is used for pruning. What I claim is: I 1. In a fruit picker, the combination with a staff of a body adjustably secured to said staff, said body terminating 1n a hook at its free end, the innenedg'e of which is beveled,

I a. blade having a cutting edge adapted to cooperate with the hook to sever an object engaged by the hook, a bar extending from said'blade, means to pivotally attach the bar and blade to the body, means to normally hold the blade in its open position,- a basket comprising a band, the ends of which are ex;

tended upwardlyand secured to the body, portions .of said ends extending over the ody, a net attached to said band and means to swing said blade on its pivot, wnereby the object engaged by the hook will be severed.

2, In a fruit picker, the combinationwi th a stall having a shank at its upper end; of a body cooperating with said shank, means to adjustably attach the body tothe shank, a hook at the free end of said body having its inner edge beveled to form a cutting edge, a

blade pivotally attached-to said body and having a cutting edge adapted to cooperate with the cutting edge ofthe'hook, a bar integral with said blade, .a basket carried by said body a springattached at one end to said blade and at its opposite end to said body, adapted-tonormally hold theblade in its open position, a lever ivotally attached to said stafi adjacent the ower end thereof,

a cable extending between said lever; and free end of said-bar and eyes on said'body and staff, through which said cable extends.

3. Ina fruit picker, the combination with a staff, a body adjustably attached to saidv :tafi and a clipping device on said body; of a basket comprising a band .formed of wire,

the ends of said band being extended up-' wardly and through the body, portions of 

